1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to gaming systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for playing multiple, different parallel bingo games over a very broad physical area using single centralized draws.
2. The Prior Art
Classical prior art bingo games are completely manual, encompassing physical balls in a cage with a mechanical selection means or a xe2x80x9cblowerxe2x80x9d type selection means. After rotating a cage containing the balls, or blowing the balls in an enclosure, a ball is blown into a separate holding area or mechanically rolled into a separate holding area; that ball is then picked up and read (xe2x80x9ccalledxe2x80x9d) by a ball caller. Each ball in the cage or enclosure is marked with a letter and number (i.e., xe2x80x9cN 42xe2x80x9d), where the letters are one of B, I, N, G, O, and the numbers are between 1 and 75.
Each player plays one or more BINGO cards. Each BINGO card has 5 rows and 5 columns. The columns are labeled from left to right with the letters xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cIxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cNxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cOxe2x80x9d across the top of the card. With the exception of the center space which is considered a free space, the spaces in the card are printed with numerical values as follows: each space in the xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d column contains a non-duplicative number from 1-15; each space in the xe2x80x9cIxe2x80x9d column contains a non-duplicative number from 16-30; each space in the xe2x80x9cNxe2x80x9d column contains a non-duplicative number from 31-45; each space in the xe2x80x9cGxe2x80x9d column contains a non-duplicative number from 46-60; and, each space in the xe2x80x9cOxe2x80x9d column contains a non-duplicative number from 61-75. The balls discussed above are numbered in the same fashion (i.e., xe2x80x9cNxe2x80x9d balls are numbered from consecutively from N-31 to N-45).
Players, sitting in front of the ball caller, mark a square on their bingo cards in accordance with the called balls typically using a dauber (a larger colored ink marker), thus the action of a player marking their cards is called daubing. Players a responsible for recognizing when they have won one of several pre-designated winning patterns. One of those patterns will be called the winning pattern or BINGO pattern. The first player to get the overall winning pattern on one of their cards is the winner of that game, and the game ends. An example winning pattern might be 5 adjacent squares in a row or column. After the pattern is reached, any prizes or awards are given out (including those awarded or won by people who made other patterns that did not end the game, such as xe2x80x9cfour cornersxe2x80x9d). Player purchase new cards and a new game begins.
Bingo games have been automated in several ways over the years. One automation technique is to automate the ball draw and ball xe2x80x9ccallxe2x80x9d (the ball caller is replaced by a large screen showing the balls as they are electronically drawn), while the cards and daubing remaining manual. Another is the use of a handheld device which enable players to buy bingo cards, have them be displayed on a screen, and electronically daub the squares corresponding to drawn balls. Finally, there are bingo game that are run entirely electronically, with a bank of machines in a casino or bingo hall connected to a common Floor Game Controller or Remote Game Controller. Players indicate which game they want to play (choices are typically made based on the amount bet), and when there are enough players the game begins. The balls are drawn electronically, and the drawn balls shown on each player""s machine. The player typically pushes a button to electronically daub their cards as balls are drawn. The first player to daub (manually or automatically) the game-ending pattern wins, and a next game is ready to play.
The problem with existing bingo games, including manual, semi-manual, and existing electronic implementations, is that they do not enable bingo game to be played across wide physical areas. This limits the number of players playing any one game and consequently the prize amounts. In addition, there is a limitation of playing a single bingo game from each set of drawn balls. There is a need to provide a significantly larger coverage for individual bingo games, enabling more players to participate and larger prize amounts to be awarded.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus enabling a single centralized system to play multiple simultaneous different bingo games using a single ball draw over an extraordinarily large area (i.e., the continental US), thus enabling large numbers of player of a large area to play the same games, further enabling significantly larger prizes to be available than previously possible.
A preferred embodiment will have be one central bingo system, a plurality of central bingo game controllers (CBGCs) where each CBGC controls at least one bingo game controller (BGC) and its particular bingo variants. The central bingo system distributes master ball draws to the CBGCs, and allocates electronic bingo card ranges to CBGCs from a superset of non-repeating cards. The CBGCs will typically be reasonably close to the central bingo system connected by a LAN, and will use the first n balls of the master draw as required by the game they master, will distribute the n balls to each BGC (which will typically be a significant physical distance from the CBGC to which it is operably networked, perhaps 1000""s of miles), and will allocate electronic bingo card ranges to BGCs from it""s set of non-repeating cards. The BGCs will distribute n balls to each player terminal or bingo electronic aid attached to it, will distribute groups of cards to bingo electronic aids, will activates cards for play as players elect to play, will play cards to detect possible bingo winning events comprised of predetermined patterns on bingo cards, will have the capability of alerting its CBGC of a potential bingo (winning event), and will receive from a player the player""s signal or indicia that the player has recognized the winning event and has caused the machine to recognize it, and in such cases where that is required (i.e., in cases where winning bingo events are presented to a player in alternate visual forms, such as simulating a horse race or simulating a reel slot game), the BGS, electronic bingo aid, or CBGC will generate the alternate visual form corresponding to that winning bingo event.